Men’s basketball season opens

Real estate freshman Ricky Myers takes a jumpshot while liberal arts freshman Stockton Perry attempts to block it as coach Louis Martinez looks on during practice Friday in Gym 1 of Candler. The season opener is at 8 p.m. Oct. 7 in Uvalde against Southwest Texas Junior College. Photo by Derrick Patron

Five players return to the 15-member squad.

By Alyssa Zapata

azapata84@student.alamo.edu

Returning for his second year of coaching men’s basketball, Louis Martinez has high expectations for his team and the season.

“With the leadership of our five returning players and the good core of young guys coming in, I think we can make a splash this year to compete,” Martinez said.

Along with coaching, Martinez is the director of his own program, Hoop Dreams Toros, founded in 2008, coaching third-graders to high school students.

This year, 15 players made the squad out of the 45 who tried out, he said.

“At a junior college, the competition changes year to year, but it always remains competitive,” Martinez said.

Last year, Northwest Vista College won the championship, and Martinez considers the Wildcats to be the biggest competitor this year.

Last season, this college fell to Northwest Vista in the season opener at home.

“We had one week of tryouts, one week of practice and then played,” he said.

The team has had four weeks of practice for the first game at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Uvalde against Southwest Texas Junior College.

“Last season, we were 7-7, and the year before I came they were 2-10, so this year, we should improve,” he said.

Players must be enrolled in nine semester hours and maintain a GPA of 2.0, he said.

DeMarcus Berry, new comer and nursing sophomore, feels optimistic about the season and believes the team will impress people with their day-to-day improvement.

“Our effort is going to separate us from the rest of the teams,” Berry said. “The scrimmages we’ve had showed us what we need to work on, and the returning players have good leadership skills and keep the energy high.”